𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 | ᵃⁿᵈʳᵉʷ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵃˢʰˡᵉʸ ˣ ᶠᵉᵐ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

chapter 1

around the evening before it's night, i keep cleaning the house while both of my parents go out. after that, i wear my apron and take the old canvas that has been kept on the shelves since my parents bought it for me, and i just keep using it every time i have leisure time

the easel in the centre of my room, supporting the canvas, and i stared at it for a while since i hadn't prepared the acrylic yet. it was white, blank, empty, and pure. as human beings, or any being, we have to keep it colourful and alive. we need to be able to do anything in order to live

thud!!

when i came back to reality, a dull sound outside my room could be heard clearly, and all of the negative thoughts lured slowly into my mind. slowly, while i stand up, i peek outside my door to see if there's anyone, and surely i know mom and dad wouldn't sneakily go inside the house

there it goes again with their voices i've been hearing all these months, but it's starting to get real, and from the moment i heard her voice, it made my heart stop

she opened the front door for him, and they were talking for a while as i heard something about taking money. it was a little surprising to see them here break into the house just to take the money from us

with a low sigh, i decided to go outside my bedroom and walk slowly towards them in the living room. ".....ashley...? andrew.....?" i almost whispered the names of both of my older siblings since i thought they were gone. they flinched, and they slowly turned their heads towards me with slightly widening eyes

".......y/n?" everything stops. ashley called out my name, and i froze. we stand still without saying a word, and then she starts to move forward in my direction. "...well, don't you look pretty, little sis..?" my breath hitched and my eyes went wide when i looked at her with a slight grin as she tried to make things less awkward

"...look, we just here for... uh visit..?" andrew finally spoke, but it didn't sound really convincing, at least to me. words still couldn't get out of my mouth because i still don't believe they are here in front of me and broke into the house while they fooled around for a second

"....i heard that... you guys are going to take something... is that true..?" why did i even have to ask that? it's obvious from the way they sneak around. "no, no, no... we're just visiting! we missed you a lot, dear little sister!" ashley managed to put her arm around my shoulder, but i couldn't buy her words, and still i was satisfied, even for a little

the both of them started roaming in the house, and i began to feel uneasy. this is not even visiting; it looks like as ashley found the dresser key, and it makes me even more worried; i know where that leads to. two of them went inside our parents room, and i just stood inside the room as i waited for them to see what bad news awaited them

there was paperwork hidden there, and it was an important one if it's been locked away. it's andrew's and ashley's death certificates, and i knew our parents made them get their life insurance with such ease. i kept quiet while i looked at their reaction, but ashley just shrugged something like that, while andrew had the normal reaction where everyone would go into a surprised expression

"i didn't know we died three months ago... right, y/n?" ashley said in her boredom sarcasm when she looked at me, and i flinched slightly as i looked down. "did you know about this, y/n?" andrew asked with an annoyed tone, but i just shook my head

the front door suddenly opened, which just meant mom was back, and i got uneasy again since i knew how she would react to andrew and ashley uninvited welcome in the house so suddenly. they kept the paperwork back inside the drawer, and andrew just lashed out from mom and dad's room to greet her?

mom was surprised to see them in the living room, and she slowly looked my way. "y/n...?" in this situation, i was supposed to guard the house or make sure nothing could happen in the house. "...im sorry, mom... they just barge-"

"well, y/n forgot to unlock the front door.. how clumsy our little sister is." andrew cut me off, and it instantly irritated me, but i just smiled slightly. "..n-no.. it's uh... im sorry, mom.. i should be more careful," mom sighs quietly. she sighed? she did? she's getting more tired of this, and she's going to start getting tired of me

my mind was swirling around with that thought, but then mom said it was okay, and she knows i won't make the same mistake. i sigh in relief, and i glare at andrew a little, but i didn't make it obvious while the both of them were having a conversation with mom and she's tired of dealing with them

andrew and ashley offer to make coffee for her, which makes me a little annoyed since i would do it for her, and now mom, ashley and andrew catch up about the news that our apartment complex burned, and so mom thought they died, but i knew what might happen in the real story

"with y/n around, she's been taking care of the chores a lot, and she even improved more in painting or good handling with other stuff. the neighbours are also friendly, and we get along just like in those tv shows; mostly everyone praised y/n very well," mom said, and i was happy she mentioned me in that way as i just smiled at them

"sounds like she's a maid, and what does she even paint? nobody gives a shit-" ashley stopped halfway when andrew nudged her nervously, but i was really annoyed with her and tried not to show it. "i just helped mom and dad to be more useful so that i don't have to be a burden to them" i struck those words for my older siblings, and i want them to have it taste bitterly